


Meddling Magic

by huntingosprey



Category: Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:07:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27634555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/huntingosprey/pseuds/huntingosprey
Summary: They've been corresponding while he's been away, but also dragging their heels and not getting on with things. The magic has been rolling its eyes at them, but now its rolling up it's sleeves and pushing things.
Relationships: Emelius Browne/Eglantine Price
Comments: 9
Kudos: 25
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Meddling Magic

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Beatrice_Sank](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beatrice_Sank/gifts).



Eglantine glared at the bowl on the sideboard, it was a not particularly fancy bowl but it was solid and practical. And yesterday evening it had been in pieces having come off worse in an encounter between Cosmic and a late sparrow. Emelius had given it to her when he came back on leave the last time and, when the children where in bed and couldn't hear her she'd spent half an hour crying over it. Yet here it was looking like it had never been broken. She set her shoulders and decided to ignore the whole mess, after all even if she had formally given up being a witch it wasn't as if her skills at magic had gone away with the title. One should expect the occasional aftereffect, like her fanciest dress all but leaping into her hands every time Emelius came home.

***

It was very odd Emelius decided, every other pair of socks he owned was in holes within months but this pair knitted, a bit inexpertly, by Eglantine after he had written bemoaning the state of his footwear has lasted through campaign after campaign. They were also the comfiest pair he owned by a long way. He wondered idly if she knitted some magic into them as well. enough other odd things happened around him that he wouldn't be at all surprised to find she had. Or maybe some had rubbed off on him, either way he had comfy feet and from the way the brass were huddling that was going to be very useful very shortly.

***

Things were getting ridiculous, frankly ridiculous. It was, for heavens sake, December and the rose bush outside the front the door had no business being in leaf let alone in flower! Carrie had remarked on it only yesterday when she brought some in for the table and how it always flowered on Mr Brownes birthday. Eglantine was trying very hard to ignore this, but it served to keep the empty space in the house filled with reminders of what could be, one day. On the other hand it also caused not a little confusion among the, thankfully, few people who visited her, she'd got very good at creative explanations. The other day she'd sworn she heard his voice drifting out of the radio, some silly ditty about how camels where more reliable than tanks. Of course it couldn't have been him, but if she allowed herself a few moments of believing it was he had sounded alive and healthy enough.

***

Emelius decided has was too sober to deal with this, he knew it was possible for things to take on a life of their own. He seen it happen, been involved in it happening, but the reason it had happened wan't here. Unfortunately.

"That's my nightshirt!"

_And I'm not responsible for it's behavior._ Emelius added mentally, ducking under the captains billowing shirt looking for a quiet spot where he could rack his brains for lesson number 8 and hope to any listening power that it worked for him as well. Things has been getting progressively stranger and stranger the more he thought about being home with Eglantine and her sensible no nonsense way. A very stark contrast to this jumped up idiot he was stuck with and he was now officially worried about it.

"I appear to have caught witch craft" he giggled, slightly hysterically and then took a deep breath and got a grip on himself. Muttering the words of the ending spell he watched the items drop to the ground lifeless, people got up and poked things almost as if they expected them to blow up, or get back up and attack.

A couple of weeks later he heard on the grapevine that the whole company was being pulled out of their current positions in the mountains. Due to "Concerns raised about the health and combat readiness" officially, unofficially he'd heard it was because HQ where starting to think someone had poisoned the local water given all the inexplicable things that where being reported. If he wasn't so happy to be getting out these damn mountains, and hopefully away from the idiot in charge, Emelius would probably be feeling rather, guilty about it all. He'd very definitely caught witch craft from Eglantine, it was the only sensible conclusion and he hoped to hell she'd have some idea on how to control it, before something earth shattering happened.

***

"Charles! Catch them!" Eglantine shouted as a pair of Emelius' trousers when running past. _If the universe is trying to get my attention it's succeeded_ she muttered to herself, thumbing desperately through her notebook. The one, very suspiciously, miraculous survivor from her study, _I gave up being a witch thank you very much!_ she pointedly reminded the universe as the various items collapsed.

There was a metallic squealing noise from outside the back door and she caught a glimpse of a round black hat moving, a little jerkily, past the kitchen window. She sighed, squared her shoulders and marched out to confront the vicar again.

"Really Cosmic, the number of times I've told him I'm not interested in marrying him he should have understood it by now." Eglantine sipped the whiskey laced tea, "And frankly we could do without the magic taking such a, hands on, approach to running him off. My reputation would be in tatters if not for the Colonel's steady fast refusal to believe any thing the vicar says."

She grinned as she got up to put Cosmic out for the night "I think he thinks the Vicar can't handle the pressure of a possible invasion and is cracking. However I think Emelius and I should take steps to formalize things a bit, if only to try and prevent the vicar being on the bicycle next time the magic decides to make it take take off!" 

***

"Ah, do you mind awfully if I pass." Emelius said face twitching a bit, "last time I refereed a game there was a stampede on the pitch, gave me quite the turn, haven' t been able to watch a match since."

Matthews eyebrows reached for the sky, "A stampede?"

"Yes, not in England you understand." Emelius soothed, "Before I joined up, a bit of a tropical backwater really. Terrible affair, no proper respect for the rules and then," he shuddered, "well all that noise bound to spoke the livestock."

"Seen a bit of the world haven't you?" Matthew grinned, "No worries I can see why that sort of thing would put you out." He walked off with a grin,

_He's probably going to embroider the whole thing massively_ Emelius thought _not that the truth if much better!_ Resolutely turning his back on the imminent football match he wandered down to the harbor and sat down on the quay side idly watching the boats ferrying supplies in. a while later he felt something splash his legs, looking down he saw a large fish holding station in the water and looking up at him with far to much intelligence for his peace of mind. He took a quick look round, just to make sure there wasn't any one in hearing.

"I don't have it." he hissed, "It fizzled out when it went from your world to ours."

The fish blinked, then said "Oh! That! Best thing really, it was no end of trouble. Really all of us in the lagoon are very grateful it's gone."

"Oh. Right, well, um happy to oblige." Emelius breathed more easily now no one was going to demand anything of him that he couldn't get back, "Er was there something else?"

"Well yes, you see we've done a lot of talking and we, the lagoon dwellers that is, think these should go to you and your good lady." The fish flicked something into the air with it's tail , "After all such symbols mean a lot to you humans."

Emelius reached out instinctively and closed his hand around two gold rings.

"Been in the lagoon for years. Some say they came with us, you know when we first came to Naboombu, only right they belong back out here." The fish said solemnly.

Emelius looked closely at the rings, and nearly felt his heart stop as he recognized the symbols on them. "Um thank you, I'll, er, we'll, um keep them safe." he stuttered.

The fish nodded gravely and turned away, Emelius sat there watching it out of sight.

***

"So," Emelius said as they sat in front of the fire, "What exactly did you do to the vicar? He was ranting at the Colonel about how you were a danger to the public."

Eglantine sniffed loudly, " _I_ didn't _do_ anything. I may have, firmly, told him I wasn't interested in becoming the Vicar's Wife on several occasions."

Emelius cocked an eyebrow, "That's not how he tells it."

"Yes well I suspect he also doesn't say he's only interested in my money and the farm." Eglantine said tartly and then sighed, "He...also has a point. It appears that while I may have renounced magic, magic hasn't renounced me and it appears Not to Approve of him ether."

"Ah, magic appears to be," Emelius waived his mug "interfering in my life as well. I was rather hoping you might have an idea on how to stop it. It's a little embarrassing to have your CO's night shift floating about headquarters."

Eglantine coughed on the mouthful of tea she'd just taken, and stared at him. Emelius nodded slowly at her expression and wondered if the universe had been as unsubtle with her as it had with him.

"A, passing dancing acquaintance, called on me." Emelius said softly, not quite looking at her, "Apparently he and his, shoal, appreciate our visits result, and um, well they think we're the best keepers of a couple of... heirlooms." 

He dug out the rings, and gathered all his courage, "I know this isn't exactly traditional, and these may just be more dangerous than the normal run of things but..." his voice dried up as he held them out on his hand.

Eglantine stared first at the rings, then at him. Silence filled the room and then she smiled "I will, I do."

Emelius remembered how to breath, picked up the smaller ring and offered it to her, "I think we might see if the Colonel will do the honors, rather than trouble the vicar anymore."

"Indeed," Eglantine smiled, a hint of mischief dancing in her eyes "But before that, I think it's rather important for a wife to be able to find her husband where ever he might end up. Goodness knows were we might end up if magic keeps meddling in our lives."

She pulled their hands close together the rings glinting in the fire light, held out her other hand over them and with a voice tinged with power intoned "Hellebore... Henbane... Aconite... Glowworm Fire... Firefly Light"

Emelius watched the rings glow with inner power and wondered just how a marriage where magic was a normal part of life would go, he was he realized rather looking forward to finding out.

**Author's Note:**

> The idea of unintentional magic interfering in their lives was to interesting to pass up and along the way some of your other prompts and ideas worked their way in. I tried to keep the war very much in the background but couldn't figure out another way of keeping them apart long enough for the universe got get fed up with them.


End file.
